The Vortex

by L. L. Frost

  Pushing to my feet, I reach out a trembling hand and pull the door closed. The need for a lock on the door suddenly becomes obvious. Though I’m not sure a lock would keep the librarian out.

  Can anything keep the librarian out?

  Goosebumps make the fine hairs on my arms stand on end, and I hug my elbows as I shuffle to the kitchen. Shadows make the counters and ovens hard to see, and the stand mixer almost looks lifelike. I pat the wall until I find the switch. Light floods the room, and I peer around.

  While scorch marks still run from the ovens to the swinging doors, the rest of the kitchen gleams with polished surfaces.

  I walk out to the front room, dimly lit by the streetlights outside and the glow from the kitchen. The floor once more looks brand new with the repairs seamlessly blending in. The large windows reveal a city unchanged by the storm.

  Pedestrians walk down the sidewalks in an odd mix of summer clothes with raincoats and umbrellas. Cars zoom past on their way to new destinations. Life goes on as normal, the humans unaware of the destruction that narrowly missed them.

  Turning away, I head back to the kitchen and collect the offering for my, hoped for, Domovoi. Taking the old milk and cupcake to the sink to dispose of, I clean the saucer and cup before placing them back on the floor. I’ve tried chocolate, vanilla, and red velvet so far, with no result. I’m not even sure the type of cake even matters.

  I walk to the small fridge that lives under the island until I figure out where to make the employees a break room. I can’t have them storing their personal food with the bakery’s ingredients. Who knows what would end up in the cupcakes?

  From there, I lift out the carton of heavy cream, my latest attempt to woo the Domovoi with something richer than regular milk. I fill the empty saucer next to the ovens, check Torch’s food supply, then walk to the counter under the passthrough.

  A covered cupcake waits for me with a sticky note next to it from Tally. See you at tomorrow’s opening! Get plenty of rest!

  I smile at the happy face below the message. Hiring Tally was a good idea, despite the odd men that travel with her, and the weird clay, non-demon scent she gives off.

  Someday, I’m going to break down and ask her how she got out of dreamland. Baku’s aren’t supposed to be able to leave. And she doesn’t seem to have any issues going back and forth between the two planes of existence. Maybe she can give me some pointers. But then I have to reveal to yet another demon that I’m broken, and apparently don’t want to be fixed, or I’d have taken the hag up on her offer a few minutes ago.

  Dragging in a deep breath of cupcake scented air, I stare out at the front of the shop. The cozy booths and small tables invite customers to stay and sip espresso with their treats. It already has an air of happiness to it that will encourage people to linger. While most humans refuse to accept the existence of the paranormal, their innate intuition can sense places that are welcoming verses those that should be avoided.

  By bringing the imps in and making sure they’re happy, then adding Tally to the mix, my store oozes feel good vibes. Even Torch adds to the mix as he happily burns away in the ovens. Demon pheromones are stronger than humans, and I unintentionally built a honey-trap over the last few weeks.

  My store will be a success, I can feel it in my bones, but I’m no longer sure it will serve the purpose I originally wanted it to. Skimming energy from humans has less appeal now that I have a smorgasbord of eager demons at home.

  I take the waiting cupcake back to the stove, set it in the center of the plate, and send out encouraging words to any Domovoi nearby. “Here is a good home. A home worthy of protecting. I will honor your service. You will be respected here.”

  After a couple minutes, I stand and brush my hands over my borrowed pants. My body aches, overwhelmed by the events of the last three days. I need to take Tally’s advice and get plenty of rest tonight. Tomorrow will be a long, and hopefully profitable, day.

  I leave through the side door, walk to the back parking lot, and find my car missing. That’s when I remember it’s still parked next to Fulcrum. I really hope no one had it towed. I don’t remember parking it especially straight in my rush to reach Kellen.

  The two block walk to collect it takes longer than expected as the pedestrian traffic thickens closer to the club. Here, humans leave their raincoats behind to dress in skimpy outfits with the maximum amount of skin they can leave exposed and still avoid arrest.

  Ghosts of hidden desires flicker through my mind as we jostle together. I clamp down on my natural instincts and keep my eyes down, worried I’ll accidentally beguile someone. Since moving in with the guys, I’ve gotten careless about leaving my sunglasses at home. The last thing I need right now is a human following me home, determined that I’m everything they’ve been looking for in a sex partner.

  My steps slow next to the front door, where a familiar, bald bouncer screens id cards. Should I check on Kellen? I left him in a rush. But then I quicken my steps. If he needed more help, he would have found it in the time since I’ve been gone.

  A sour ball forms in my stomach at the idea of Kellen seeking out another succubus.

  My car waits at the curb where I abandoned it hours ago, one wheel up on the sidewalk. A yellow ticket flutters from beneath the windshield wiper, and I snatch it free before sliding behind the wheel. I should make Kellen pay for it. It seems only fair, since he caused it.

  The cars on either side are parked too close, and it takes a lot of back and forth mauvering before I'm able to pull out onto the street and drive toward home. When I turn onto our block, more cars than usual line the street. Curious, I peer at the houses around ours, but they all look quiet for the night.

  I park in my usual spot in front of the house. So far, the guys haven't said anything about me parking on the side where the garage hides slightly behind the main body of the house. Probably because there's not room in their enormous garage for my battered sedan.

  Kellen once offered to teach me how to drive one of his fancy cars. I should take him up on that soon, just in case mine decides to die before I can replace it.

  My stomach growls as I trudge up the steps and I wonder what's for dinner tonight?

  It's Emil's turn, so that probably means takeout from one of the Italian places nearby. Or he'll bribe me to feed them with another gift card. I glance down at my neon blue clogs, a little worse for wear after hyper-speeding halfway across the city in them. Another gift card would be nice.

  Maybe I can trick him into making the offer with some caramel sauce.

  I push open the front door and loud music spills out onto the porch, along with the overwhelming scent of ozone.

  What the…?

  Hesitant, I step out of my shoes and walk barefoot into the living room to find it packed with white haired demons. They lounge on the leather couches and stand on the coffee table. Tobias and Emil hover near the kitchen and stare out at the invasion through narrow, angry eyes.

  As one, the horde of succubi and incubi turn to me with broad smiles on their beautiful faces.

  “Happy housewarming, Boo!”

  (un)Welcome

  “I swear I sent out an email telling them not to come,” I tell Tobias and Emil.

  Behind me, music blares as my cousins create an impromptu dance floor by pushing the furniture against the walls.

  “We tried calling you, but it keeps going straight to voicemail,” Tobias rumbles. His voice lacks the usual roll of earthquakes, though.

  They’re both still low on power, which is probably the only reason my cousins managed to invade our house.

  “I haven’t made it to the store to pick up a replacement yet.” I hold my hands up to sooth his temper. “I’ll get them to leave.”

  A crash comes from the living room, and Emil’s lip curls. “You’re replacing anything they damage.”

  I nod frantically. “Yes, of course I will.”

  Over the racket, the doorbell rings, and I rush to answer it, determi
ned to head off at least one of my cousins before they can make it inside.

  Landon waits on the porch. He swapped out his usual sweats for designer jeans and a gray, short-sleeved henley. With his hair combed back, he looks ready to walk a runway.

  He thrusts a gold, wire cage into my hands. “Happy housewarming.”

  As I stare down at the fluttering blue butterfly in confusion, he brushes past me. A cheer of welcome goes up, and I rush after him. “Landon, I cancelled the party.”

  “Doesn’t look cancelled to me.” He takes a drink someone thrusts at him.

  Beer foams in the red plastic cup, and I spot a keg next to the fireplace. How did they get a keg in here?

  I grab his arm and drag him toward the kitchen, shoving the butterfly cage at Emil as I pass with a muttered, “Don’t eat it.”

  As we enter the kitchen, Tac glares at me from beneath the dining table, his giant green eyes narrowed with suspicion. He seems to share the same opinion about our unwanted guests that Emil and Tobias do. Thankfully, he hasn’t tried to eat anyone. Yet.

  “Nice digs.” Landon takes a long sip from his beer as he glances around, his monarch yellow eyes bright with interest.

  For a moment, my gaze shifts to the center island with the beautiful gas stove top, and warmth fills my chest. It’s not mine, exactly, but it makes me happy, the home I’ve found with the cranky destruction demons.

  Then, another crash makes me flinch, and I turn back to Landon. “I need them to leave.”

  He shrugs. “Then, kick them out.”

  “They’re not going to listen to me.” I tug on his wrist. “Help me.”

  “No.”

  I rear back in surprise. “Why not?”

  “I’m your mentor, but you never invite me over.” His lips flatten into a thin line. “I took care of you for almost a century, let you sleep on my couch, but you never invited me to your apartment once you moved out.”

  My hands move to my hips. “That’s because you wouldn’t have come anyway!”

  “I might have.” He takes another sip of beer, before he adds, “Do you know how many complaints I’ve had to listen to about how unsocial you are? The cousins made a point of taking you out on hunts, and you never call them.”

  “I call Julian.”

  He makes a tsking sound. “Julian doesn’t count.”

  “Where were the cousins, today, huh?” I jab a finger against his chest. “Where were you?”

  He catches my fist, and the air shimmers between us. “Careful, little girl.”

  I stop myself from shrinking in on myself before his greater power. Instead, I feel my body tremble. “Do you even know what happened tonight? What I saw happen?”

  “Everyone knows what happened.” He sighs and releases me. “That’s why they won’t leave.”

  My voice aches against the tightness of my throat. “Why didn’t anyone come?”

  He turns and wanders around the island, leaving me to my misery. “Because no one who could have helped wanted to.”

  I follow on his heels, desperate for him to understand the magnitude of the loss. “But one of ours died tonight!”

  “We die all the time, this was just the first time you felt it.” He stops in front of the fridge, his head tilting to one side as he reads my Rules board. He turns back around, his eyes narrowed. “Are you serious, Boo?”

  My spine stiffens. “We’re still working things out.”

  He reaches back and yanks the whiteboard off the fridge, leaving sticky strings of duct tape behind. Walking back, he tosses it to me. “Don’t let the others see this.”

  I fumble to catch it. “Okay.”

  He leans closer and sniffs the air above my skin. “At least you smell like them.”

  I clutch the board to my chest. “Yeah, well, you know how they helped me.”

  His hand brushes over my arm, and energy pulls from me, clinging to his skin. “Some of this feels newer. Good. You’re learning.”

  Heat creeps up my neck.

  “Don’t blush.” He takes me by the shoulders and turns me to face Emil and Tobias. “Get your scent on them, or one of the others might mistake them for food.”

  Ashamed that I need this explained to me, I nod mutely.

  “Give the cousins an hour or two to let off steam, to be among their own kind. They need this to remind themselves they’re still alive.” With a last squeeze, he releases me. “After that, you can kick them out.”

  “Thank you.”

  As he walks back toward the loud living room, he calls over his shoulder, “And come by on Monday. My house still needs to be picked up.”

  “I’ll bring the brochures for the maid services!”

  He waves the comment away and disappears through the archway.

  I hurry around the kitchen island and shove my Rules board into a cupboard, swing by to give Tac a hard rub between his ears that he tolerates with a loud huff, then venture back to where Emil and Tobias hover.

  Tobias glares down at me. “I take it they’re staying?”

  I hold my fingers up, with a tiny bit of space between them. “Just for a little bit.”

  “I need something to drink.” Emil turns and stomps to the fridge, where he pulls a bottle of vodka from the freezer.

  Seeing Tobias momentarily distracted at the idea of booze, I creep closer to him and rub my boobs against his arm.

  His focus shifts to me, and his eyebrow lifts. “What are you doing?”

  “Uh…” I pat his chest, then slide my arm down over his abs. “I just need to, um, mark you…”

  “Why?” When he turns to face me more fully, a frown tugs at the corners of his mouth.

  I take the opportunity to rub my skin against his other arm. “So they don’t think you’re open game.”

  His brows lift in surprise. “Don’t you think I can take care of myself?”

  I peek up at him. “You don’t exactly feel powerful right now. Someone might latch onto you in your weakened state.”

  “Weak—” He sputters, then erupts into a full laugh. “Just because you drained me doesn’t make me helpless.”

  I freeze with my breasts pressed against his back. “Really?”

  “But by all means, keep doing what you’re doing. I like that you’re protecting me right now.” He reaches back to snag my arm and drag me in front of him. He leans down to put his face close to mine as his lids droop to veil his black gaze. “Keep going.”

  Uncertain, I rub my cheek against his, then pull back slightly to switch to the other side. As I do, his warm breath ghosts over my lips, and I shiver as I slowly lean back in to rub against his opposite cheek.

  His voice becomes a quiet rumble. “My neck, too, don’t you think?”

  “I…” I glance at him from the corner of my eye and find his pupils expanding to block out the whites. My pulse spikes, and I lick suddenly dry lips.

  He tracks the motion and smiles. “The arteries are especially vulnerable.”

  “Yeah, vulnerable.” My head drops to his throat, seeking out the soft skin that flutters with the rapid beat of his heart.

  Unable to stop myself, my mouth opens, my tongue flicking out for a taste. Salty heat, the hint of ozone. I shouldn’t be hungry again, and even though Tobias says he can take care of himself, he doesn’t smell like he can. When I suck his pulse between my teeth, he reads almost human, his destructive powers so low my bones don’t even rattle in warning.

  Rising onto my toes, my teeth graze along the stubble of his jaw, a gentle abrasion against my lips that whispers of tantalizing friction. Higher comes the soft flesh of his earlobe, just the right size to latch onto and suckle inside my mouth.

  His hands cup my waist and hike me up to make it easier for me to focus on the task at hand. My fingers thread through the silky, thick strands of his hair, adding my scent there for good measure.

  I shift to the other side of his face, locate the fine curve of his ear, and scrape my teeth along it until I find the soft spo
t behind his lobe, at the edge of his jaw. His pulse leaps beneath my lips with the frantic flutter of prey, and I linger there, worrying at the delicate skin.

  A hand fists in my hair to draw me back, and Tobias’s voice comes out in a deep rumble. “Careful, there.”

  I hiss with frustration and strain against his grip.

  Ice touches my arm, and I flinch away, snapping back to awareness.

  For a long moment, I stare at the glass pressed against my arm. Condensation forms on the outside, little drops of water that freeze against my overheated body. When my eyes lift, I meet Emil’s unrepentant gaze before he lifts the glass away and takes a sip.

  In the next moment, his lips touch mine, cold with the burn of alcohol and ice. But the taste of glaciers never comes, even when his mouth opens to let me sweep inside to drink the vodka from his tongue. Liquid heat ignites between my legs, my core clenching around an emptiness that begs to be filled. My body remembers the bliss of having these men, even if I don’t.

  But they’re weak right now and giving into what they offer might break the thin hold on my self-control. I’ll eat them down to dust and still want more.

  I pull back with a soft mewl of frustration.

  The hand in my hair tightens to bring my focus back to Tobias. “Done already?”

  I wiggle against the hard band of his arm around my waist. “It should be enough to warn my cousins away.”

  “We could just go upstairs,” Tobias suggests. “Let them have the run of the house.”

  Emil huffs a quiet protest at the idea. “Let’s just kick them all out.”

  Landon’s words ring through my head.

  “No.” I succeed in extricating myself and land back on solid footing. “No, they need time to be together. Give us an hour.”

  They look ready to protest, and I hold up a hand to stop them.

  “Please. I’ll clean up the mess.” I stare past them to the writhing mass of demons in the living room. “Something bad happened tonight. I should be out there with them.”

  Emil frowns, but nods. “Do what you want.”